Button: We can move on from 2012

Jenson Button is targeting the world title in 2013 and believes McLaren will be able to put the failures of the past season behind them...

Jenson Button is targeting the world title in 2013 and believes McLaren will be able to put the failures of the past season behind them.

2012 was far from a banner year for the Woking-based outfit and there is a feeling that they did not make the most of the opportunities given to them, but Button is optimistic about what the new year will bring.

Eager to take on the team leader role following Lewis Hamilton's departure, Button is confident that the mistakes made in 2012 will not haunt them in the coming season.

"I have got a great team behind me," he told Autosport. "Starting the 2013 season, if we can start strong like we did this year, I feel that the mistakes and the problems that we have had, hopefully we can put behind us.

"For me being the experienced one in the team, I really like that and I'm looking forward to working closely with the team, not just being the driver but actually working closely with the aerodynamicists, the engineers, and the designers to really keep pushing in the direction that I want.

"I'm not an expert in any of those fields but I'm the guy that drives, I'm the guy who knows what I want from the car and what I need. It's going to be a good winter and we will start strong."

Button has also greeted the news of Pirelli's new type of tyre for the coming season with enthusiasm.

The tyres are said to more aggressive and will force a rethink in pit stop strategy, and the Italian manufacturer believes it could help shake up the pecking order in 2013.

After getting an opportunity to try out the new tyres at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Button said: "I liked it, actually. It was very hot in Brazil so it's difficult to be sure, but the idea is that it generates heat a lot quicker and you don't struggle with warm-up, which a lot of teams did in 2012. That is good.

"The grip is different. We were told that it had a certain style of grip but it doesn't quite feel that way, it feels a bit different. It feels like it's going to be a good tyre.

"There is going to be a lot of degradation, definitely. We are going to see more degradation in the latter part of the season - and it will be more like the beginning of 2012."